Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-04-23

/ his life, won't you 2" This was the con-
slant and the only appeal. and the reply
was equally short and determined: "Shut
upP and Do your praying and make it
briefr'
We passed the house of Judge Beans, but
the please everybody face of Justice Wig
glewaggle, as he was called, was not to be
seen. This was not Court of law. but
| rough and tumble arena of justice. We
had been marching for an hour when the
leader suddenly turned from the pike and
we entered a strip OF woods, which divided
y from its agricultural background. II
was delightful remnant of an ancient for
est, and as we tramped beneath the branches
and clambered over the fallen trunks of
the trees we were greeted with the call of
the night owl and the invisible scampering
about of its winged denizens. We finally
reached an open space, where few sap
tings grew among the stumps of their gi-
| gantic predecessors, and here Judge Lynch
held his Court.
As | scanned rather hastily the crowd, /
was wildly impressed with two facts, viz,
| that we are martial people, and that in
| spite Of the constant failures in the Court
room We still love justice. Some had mus
kets which had been "out in 1922 and the
! Mexican war, others double-barreled SOUR
| rel shooting, others again swords which
had gittered at many q military parade,
| but the majority had bright new navy re-
| volvers. That we loved justice was equally
| apparent from the zeal with which the Gull
prit was guarded, and the determination
that he should pay the penalty of his mis-
deed
! Owing to the passing of the clouds which
constantly obscured the moon-the fitful
| and uncertain light of the handlamps car
ried by the crowd, the laudable desire of
each patriot TO be in front, and my own
| equally praiseworthy desire to be in the
background cannot go very accurately
into the details of this tribunal of the peo-
pie, but will come as close to the facts as
the excitement and surrounding circum-
stances will permit.
In the first place the hitherto taciturn
| mob suddenly broke into an angry sea of
oaths and shouts, and there was a rushing
backward and forward, and here and there
| the report of a pistol, showing that there
was divided Court even in the temple of
Judge Lynch. One group, however, had
thrown rope over the top of young sap
ling, and while brawny arms adjusted a
knot on it and bent it towards the earth.
other brawny arms and violent hands were
dragging Bill on his knees towards the
moose, yainly struggling and begging for
mercy.
" See here, boys" suddenly said the
leader, who was either presiding Judge or
prosecutor pro tenn, as he blew flake of
snow off the barrel Of bis rife, aren't We
going a trifle too fast? There are two
ways doing thing-and we needn't i'm
itate him in that partikler. Has Bill con-
fessed? If he hain't, whars the edentif-
cation ?" What" shouted one who was
Juggling at the impromptu gallows, do
you suppose. that | am going to hold this
tree down all night?"
Why, Tom see him kill Berry and the
conductor !" shouted dozen voices in uni
son.
And here's Matt and Nate seed him
shoot the Dutchman. Why, Long Jim,
what is the matter with you ?" cried still
another.
Oh, yes, there was plenty of proof How
prompt and swift were the witnesses, and
how full and responsive their memories
Old friends and new ones, companions and
enemies. stood up and poured out their
knowledge against the hunted and craven
creature. and unfolded his character as
idler, hummer, drunkard, wife-beater. thief
and homicide! 1t was true there was nc
Mallory Jack to bully and hector them in
so-called cross-examination; nor Judge
Wlgglewaggle to frown upon the stupid and
smile upon the impudent and bold, and no
sympathetic fringe of people who love to
help the under dog. But probably the one
circumstance which told most strongly
against him in the leaders mind was the
croUching attitude and heartrending ap-
peals for mercy.
This satisfied even Long Jim of the truth
of the charges, and he rested his rifle upon
the ground, and, with gesture, invited
the executioners to perform the peoples
idea of justice, which they did with fren-
zied shout of joy.
But this was a night of surprises. Amid
the yelling, struggling and swearing arose
the cry of Sheriff Sheriff p and the
crowd opened and for a few minutes
paused, listened, and looked eagerly toward
the pike. Sure enough, the Gathering
souno of galloping horse could be dis
tlnctly heard coming nearer and nearer.
and in a moment white horse bearing
the county officer dashes recklessly through
the crowd, which opens to lei him in, and
then closes behind him.
" Make way, hold on, stand bach" cried
the burly rider, waving his revolver and
alighting close to the prisoner, whom he
wrenched from the grasp of the fellows
holding the sapling down. "Pll shoot
the first man that moves. This is nv
man. In the name of the commonwealth
| arrest -
He did not finish the sentence. for sud-
denly there passed above his head a for
! midable piece of WOOD. and the Sheriff,
his slouched hat and pocket gun were
knocked i'll three different directions. and
the big, stalwart officer fell with such force
upon the ground that it was several sec
onds before he turned over. rose upon his
knees, and rubbed his head and shoulder
and looked around in a confused wav for
the supposed thunderbolt which had struck
him.
- Gaorru INV bo,, eo;J o-o ~ Al. II
ing by ISLANDERS, as the dazed Sheriff brushed
the dirt from his face and felt on the
ground for his revolver. don't you know
it is contempt of Court to interrupt it
with your circus business? Be mum, now
We hear-and shet your eyes and ears. or
you'll get worse nor that"
The Sheriff took the hint, for he crawled
aside to the stump of tree, and crouching
behind 1t, watched slyly the sinister pro-
ceedings.
But another man had been watching the
| unexpected interruption, and saw n il the
| one golden opportunity Of his life, and this
was the prisoner. The man that held him
had been knocked down by the reckless
rider, and the horse was standing tossing
his head within two feet of him. Bill saw
his chance, and in flash mounted the
horse, crouched almost fiat on the name.
and struck boldly out for liberty.
AS he plunged beneath the branches and
shot past the trees, running FIRE of pistol
shots followed him, scattering the bark
and branches, but missing the fugitive in
the obscuriiy, who kicked, tugged end
dashed the frightened horse into wild leaps
and plunges.
To me this was better than the deus ex
| machiDa of the ancient play, that Bill
| should escape by his own efforts. Iwished
| him success for obvious reasons. What
| were the precepts of Coke, the explanations
| of Kent, and the judgments of Marshall
| what were law colleges with their profess
sors, moot Courts and libraries-and what
even were Courts of justice, with their
juries and talking lawyers, if this were to
be the tribunal OF the future2 The music
OF the future had discords enough which